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| PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PRESS RELEASE |
Ref: 150/2005
Date: 24 November 2005
Time: 12:30 GMT
PCHR is Shocked by the Restrictions Imposed by the Higher Committee for Local Elections on those Selected for Monitoring the Fourth Stage of Elections of Local Councils
On Thursday morning, 24 November 2005, the Higher Committee for Local Elections (HCLE) rejected most of the applications submitted by PCHR seeking to accredit local observers to monitor the fourth stage of elections of local councils, which will be held on 15 December 2005. This rejection followed a decision taken by the HCLE on 20 November 2005, limiting the number of local observers permitted to take part in the forthcoming elections.
The fourth stage of these elections includes 42 local councils, including 3 in the Gaza Strip: Um al-Nasser village in the northern Gaza Strip, with one polling center consisting of 3 polling stations; al-Qarara village in Khan Yunis governorate, with 3 polling centers consisting of 13 polling stations; and al-Fukhari village, with one polling center consisting of 3 polling stations.
PCHR prepared 19 observers to monitor the elections of the three local councils in the Gaza Strip and submitted applications to the HCLE to accredit them. PCHR decided to devote one observer for each polling station to thoroughly monitor the electoral process, in light of the problems that accompanied the second stage of elections of local councils in the Gaza Strip on 5 May 2005, especially in Rafah, al-Boreij and Beit Lahia. However, the HCLE has approved only 13 of these applications.
PCHR has learnt that the rejection of its applications followed instructions by Mr. Bashar al-Deek, Director of the HCLE Executive Office, to Dr. Ussama Abu Safiya, Director of the HCLE Executive Office in Gaza, which stated that “the steering committee of the HCLE took a decision at its meeting held on Saturday, 19 November 2005, concerning the accreditation of local observers. The committee decided to issue observation cards for all political parties and Palestinian institutions, societies and organizations working the field of democracy and human rights only, and the maximum number of cards shall be two for each electoral constituency for each institution or political party…”
PCHR condemns this measure, which will restrict the work of observation teams in the local elections. In fact, local observers will not be able to have access to all polling stations to ensure the fairness and transparency of elections. Although it understands the HCLE’s need to regulate work at polling stations, including the presence of observers, PCHR asserts that each polling station and the number of local observers should be dealt with separately.
The HCLE’s decision will make it difficult to provide observers in all polling stations. It violates the Law of Elections of Local Councils (Law 10 of 2005), whose article 10 prescribes that “the observers and agents of electoral lists shall have the right to monitor all stages of the electoral process, in accordance with the provision of the law and the regulations and instructions enacted to implement it.” Article 3 prescribes that the HCLE “shall have the authority to issue observation cards for observers and shall take necessary steps to facilitate their work.”
It is worth noting that the HCLE will be abolished by the end of 2005 and its mandate will be transferred to the Central Election Commission (CEC), in accordance with Law 10, whose article 72 prescribes that “the HCLE shall carry out its mandate until the end of December 2005, and subsequently, its mandate will be transferred to the CEC”.
PCHR hopes that the fourth stage of elections for local councils will be held on the allocated date, and calls upon the HCLE to reconsider its decision to limit the number of observers and allow observation teams to carry out their work freely, in accordance with the law, as this will ensure the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
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Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
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